Cruise News: Final curtain for UK sailings on the Opera and other MSC Cruises ships?

Captain Greybeard's guide to the latest from the cruise holiday industry

The show's over? The MSC Opera

In a blow to the growing UK cruise market, reports emerged this week suggesting that MSC Cruises would not be sailing from British ports in 2015.

The line, which has 12 ships and last
month began sailings from Miami for the first time, will operate both MSC Opera and MSC Magnifica from Southampton in 2014. Magnifica will also visit Edinburgh, Belfast and other UK ports.

A
confidential source informs me that both ships will be operating elsewhere in 2015 and there are no plans to bring alternative vessels to
the UK.

MSC UK and Ireland boss Giles Hawke would not confirm the decision.

He would only say that “our itinerary planners are still working through all the options”.

An official statement from the company later said: “We have no plans to implement any changes to ex-UK cruises.”

MSC
is a Swiss-owned company based in Italy. Part of a cargo shipping giant, it has a fleet of 12 cruise ships all built since 2004 and all christened by Sophia Loren.

The newest, MSC Preziosa, which launched in March, was originally being built for Libya’s Col Gaddafi but was taken over when he was overthrown.

Carnival
Cruise Line, which abandoned no-fly ex-UK cruises some time ago, will not have any ships in Europe in 2015. The company blames the cost of flights for American customers, and the difficulty establishing an identity for UK consumers.

Princess and Royal Caribbean will also sail fewer ships in the Med and northern Europe than in recent summer seasons.